Chris Higgins took two shots in the morning skate and tweaked his back Thursday. The winger won't be available as the Vancouver Canucks hobble into their date in the desert against the Phoenix Coyotes. (Getty Images via National Hockey League).

GLENDALE, Ariz. — It could easily be dubbed Desperation in the Desert tonight. And that was before the Vancouver Canucks were hit with another injury when winger Chris Higgins left the morning skate after taking two shots and tweaking his back. He won’t play against the Phoenix Coyotes in opener of a three-game road trip.

With Zack Kassian (back) and Steve Pinizzotto (illness) already on the sidelines — and more crippling news with David Booth’s injury diagnosed as a high-ankle sprain that can have a recovery period of six to eight weeks — the Canucks summoned forward Andrew Gordon from the Chicago Wolves. The trickle-down effect is that a defenceman, likely Andrew Alberts or Keith Ballard, will have to play wing with just 11 forwards available.

“That’s going to be the case but I’m going to try and figure that out this afternoon,” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. “This just happened in a short span and we have a couple of hours to figure what we’re going to do.”

The good news is that Cory Schneider is coming off a strong 32-save performance Tuesday against St. Louis and that the Coyotes have lost four straight. They’re coming off a road trip in which they were blanked in three-straight games and went 245:33 before finally scoring Tuesday in a 3-2 loss at Los Angeles. But the Coyotes are 10-5-1 at home, have a way of playing well against the Canucks and won 4-2 at Rogers Arena on Feb. 26. If the Canucks are going to make something of this trip, their goaltending must be solid and their offence opportunistic because you can argue they’re only icing seven truly established NHL forwards tonight.

“It’s a tough game and never easy because they play with a lot of structure and energy,” said Schneider. “They may not have that big line, but they do have three or four lines that contribute. I know I have to be an integral part of the puzzle, regardless if we have a full lineup or a few guys out. My job doesn’t change and we have a lot of confidence in the guys we recall.”

Schneider was strong in a 2-1 shootout loss here last season at the trade deadline and also blanked the Coyotes 5-0 on their home ice in November of 2011. The Coyotes got a monster game from captain Shane Doan on Tuesday with 11 shots, 13 hits and a goal in 18:59. Now you know why the Canucks tried so hard to land him last summer.

Meanwhile, some confidence may be returning for Daniel Sedin, who went eight games without a goal before scoring Tuesday against the Blues. The winger had a long and animated post-practice discussion with Vigneault along the far sideboards. There was much head shaking, stick pointing and hand motions between the pair. What was the message to a guy with nine goals, just one more than Henrik Sedin?

“Nothing,” shrugged Daniel. “We usually have talks after every practice and it was nothing game specific. Last game was obviously a step in the right direction and I’ve got to keep that going. I’m at my best when I’m shooting the puck and I like to be the shooter on the line. I’m going to try and do that more.”

Daniel has actually been playing more like Henrik, thinking pass first and shoot second as a struggling sniper.

“That’s the tendency for everyone,” he said. “I’ve got to be more selfish and get to those shooting positions and that’s been missing.”

Gordon has played 49 NHL games — including 37 with the Anaheim Ducks last season and a dozen wit the Washington Capitals — and that made the centre/winger the logical recall choice over the highly touted yet untested Nicklas Jensen and Darren Archibald. Gordon has 16 goals and 26 points in 47 AHL games this season with the Chicago Wolves and brings versatility because he can play centre or wing on the third or fourth lines tonight. He was acquired from the Ducks in a trade for defenceman Sebastian Erixon last season. He didn’t arrive in time for the morning skate.

“He’s a real heart-and-soul kid and one of our captains,” Wolves coach Scott Arniel said of the 27-year-old Halifax native. “He plays the same way every night and every shift and knows what it takes to play at this level because he’s won a couple of championships at Hershey. He’s on our power play and penalty kill. We have him at centre but he can play the wing as well and he’ll bring a good work ethic. He knows how to play on the right side of the puck.”

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